Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.

dateline: 28 July 2015

Australia To Kill 2 Million Cats

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

feral: wild; not domesticated

activist: a person who believes strongly about something and tries to bring attention to the issue

condemn: to express strong disapproval

genocide: an attempt to kill an entire species or race

breed: to reproduce

sterilization: a procedure that prevents an animal from reproducing; makes infertile

The Australian government plans to kill 2 million feral cats by the year . The purpose is to protect some of Australia’s threatened species. The announcement did not sit well with animal rights activists, including Brigitte Bardot. The former French model condemned the Australian and called their plan “animal genocide”. Bardot argued that killing cats is cruel and violent. She also argued that the program would be , since cats will continue to breed. Bardot and many other activists feel that the Australian government should spend their money on sterilization eradication.

Comprehension Questions

How did the Australian government upset animal rights activists?

Who is Brigitte Bardot?

What does Bardot think the government should do instead?

Discussion Questions: Do you agree with Brigitte Bardot and other animal activists, or do you think that the Australian government is right to take this approach? Explain your position.

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Australia Plans To Kill 2 Million Cats
The Australian government plans to kill 2 million feral cats by the year 2020. The purpose is to protect some of Australia’s threatened native species. The announcement did not sit well with animal rights activists, including Brigitte Bardot. The former French model condemned the Australian government and called their plan “animal genocide”. Bardot argued that killing cats is cruel and violent. She also argued that the program would be useless since cats will continue to breed. Bardot and many other activists feel that the Australian government should spend their money on sterilization rather than eradication.

The Australian government upset animal rights activists by announcing a plan to kill 2 million feral cats by 2020.

Brigitte Bardot is an animal rights activist who was a former French model/actress.

Bardot thinks the government should spend the money on sterilization instead of eradication.